July is warm this year
by DoeForEver
Summary: The unsettling UnSub appears in Boulder City next to Las Vegas. The team joins the PD in search for clues leading to capturing the villain. Something is not quite right... This is my first fanfiction on CriminalMinds, it is case-centered with an obvious exploitation of certain character that just so happens to be my personal number one...
1. From Monday to Monday

**Hi there, My Sweetness!**  
**I hope someone reads this little something and give me feedback - I really will appreciate any comment and reviews because I have no idea if my writting is following the right direction and if it's even worth of being continued...**  
**Therefore, please - READ and REVIEW :)**  
**Also, I am extremaly sorry, however, I am not a native English speaker so, please, do pardon me my uncountable mistakes...**  
**I hope you will enjoy at least a little this story, I do not know yet how many chapters it will have but I have everything pretty much figured out so I just have to type it down and divide it into nice parts :)**

**dum,dum,dum... **

He felt vulnerable to all that have been happening in front of his very eyes, yet he could do nothing to stop this barbarity. The easiest way would have been to just shut his eyes, to not look. He did not have that luxury, or rather, he would not choose it. He knew the least he could do was to be there with her as she was slaughtered by their abductor. Her hazel eyes were full of fear but there was something more to it, she tried to comfort him. Comfort him? She was the one currently being killed, not him. She was the one that has been in that hell for over a week, not him. She was the one that he was supposed to save, not him. Yet she was comforting him with her tender gaze, with her tender last gaze that froze for a whole eternity fixed right on him.

The man has raised, with a bloody knife in his hand, "She was not resisting as much as you might have thought she would be, huh?"… His voice was hoarse and low, yet he could hear him smiling. The man shortly after walked out the chamber, leaving him with a dead girl and one still unconscious. He had no idea what to do. He had no clue about his whereabouts, not to speak of the identity of the man who held them in here. All he knew was that he was probably next in the cue up for the slaughter as the still alive girl came here no more than two hours ago, he had been here for at least three days. He crawled closer to the recently killed girl. Her name was July and she was taken three days prior to his team entering this case…

**Five days before…**

Reid was sitting with JJ and Morgan in the conference room, they have been talking about organizing a birthday party for Hotch. Chattering and laughter was soon cut short when the rest of the team walked into the room, followed by Hotch. Garcia turned on the screen. Photographs of five people appeared, each of them smiling, mid-twenties, woman, man, woman, man and again woman, "We were called in by the sheriff of Boulder City after the disappearance of the third woman," her picture sized up. She was a brunette with round hazel eyes, wide lips and full cheeks, smiling gently, "Her name is July Dwart, she is 21, student in an acting school, single, have two older brothers, her parents live in Las Vegas, so do her brothers". Penelope went on with presenting the case, each victim disappeared when heading back from work, from Boulder City, yet none of them lived there. Also, in each case the woman was the first to be abducted, on Monday, then the man would disappear following Saturday. How did police now it was the same unsub? They did not until the bodies of the first two victims were found, "They were both starved, dehydrated and severely beaten, both had similar cuts on their backs and they had all of their fingers and toes broken," Garcia took a deep breath, "as well as they both had many other signs of torture alongside a clear signature of the psycho ". Two pictures popped out. One represented torso of the first woman, the second of the man. They both had something curved on their skin, "Looks like names…". Reid was right, "First woman, Angela Britz, had the name Carol curved, her body turned up on Tuesday and there was Carol Leng reported missing on Monday, body of Max Sander was found a week after his disappearance on Sunday. He had the name Ethan burned in his skin, Ethan Haypher was reported missing on Saturday evening". Next set of photos was very similar, yet, "Carol was found yesterday with July curved in her skin, July was reported missing two days ago, the body of Ethan has not yet turned up, it is still believed that he could be alive". Garcia sat down, "Let's get on the plane and we will talk about the rest there, the sooner we get there, the better". Everyone went to grab their go-bags in a hurry. Just Reid remained a while in the room staring at the photos of all five victims, "What is it?" boy genius had not noticed that Hotch was still there, "I don't know yet". He left. Aaron Hotchner followed him with his eyes and only when Reid vanished from his sight, he shook his head, this boy surely noticed something that they are all blind to.

"It seems that the unsub is dumping the body only when he has his next victims," Rossi nodded over the file he was holding, "there is no sexual assault, only torture…" JJ turned over a few pages, "in the coroner's report it is said that the first two had their genitals cut and severely injured, but Carol didn't have these injuries, however, she had had a consensual sex prior to her death…".

"Do you think he is making them have sex with each other and if they don't…" Morgan shook his head slightly, "…he makes them suffer eve more" Rossi ended. Everything in this guy's M.O. was screaming that he was a sexual sadist and a very sophisticated one.

Right after they had landed, Rossi and Reid headed to the latest dump-site, Morgan went with Prentiss to the coroner and Hotch with JJ went to the station. The time was at steak here so everyone tried to simply forget that because they have been talking about the case the whole flight, they were going now into their second day without any sleep.

Dirty and smelly. Those were the two words that described best the corner behind the old barber shop where the unsub dumped Carol's Leng body, "He clearly doesn't care for his victims, they are not a part of any delusion," Rossi kneeled down to look closely at what was lying on the ground, "he left them between rotten food and broken kitchen stuff". Reid nodded, it seemed that for this unsub victims only had value alive and knowing that he was getting rid of the body as soon as the victim died from torture and he was immediately taking another one, it could be easily stated that killing was not the most important thing for him – the pain he was inflicting was.

Later this day they all finally met at the station to share all of the information they were able to get. As the addition to Reid's and Rossi's observation, Morgan said that the guy had varied ways of hurting his victims, "For girls it would be beating, stabbing and hitting with different objects – wooden, pipes, books, cutting the name into their skin," he stopped for a moment, "For guys it was all of this plus burning and drowning". Hotch nodded, "It seems he gets off more with man, yet, they are not being raped…". It really all seemed horrific and with an unsub this meticulous and organized they also believed none would suspect him of being capable of doing these things. And these things were only getting worse, "He does not have any interest in them once they die," Prentiss was holding a coroner's report, "all of the wounds were antimortum and the final act of kill was quick, relatively painless".

"Am I supposed to tell this to the families, that their loved one's death was _relatively painless_?", a fairy young woman came into the room. She nodded at the team, "I am sheriff Berty Adams, nice to meet you". She shook everyone's hand, except from Reid's who just smiled at her and her hand pointed at him. She did not react to this with much surprise, perhaps she just did not care at all, "So, will you be able to help us catch the psycho soon"? Morgan looked at Hotch, the sheriff here could be a problem, "We will do all we can, sheriff". She half-smiled at Morgan and reached for the door's hasp, "I hope your doing will be efficient enough so I won't have to meet another folks from Las Vegas who lost their offspring here"…

It was getting late and Hotch noticed that everybody was falling asleep, "Let's call it a day, go get some sleep and we meet up tomorrow, 8 A.M.". Every member of the team welcomed this announcement with a sigh of relief, everyone but Reid. As his friends were slowly leaving, he was still sitting without any movement, staring at the board with everything they have got thus far on the case. Something was bugging him and just now he figured out what was it. How did the unsub abduct his victims? Neither of them lived in Boulder City and this meant they were not victims of opportunity, he probably stalked them for some time. Angela was last seen when she entered the park she always passed to get to the parking lot, Max disappeared on his way from market to his girlfriend's home, Carol vanished from the playground when she was gathering the toys after children have left, Ethan was grabbed after his usual lunch-break at the diner next to his job and July left for a smoke, never came back – he knew their routine, it seemed but still… According to July's friend she usually smoked before work and it was the first time she have ever taken a smoke-break (was stressed over her mom's check-up). Carol was not supposed to work on the day of her abduction, she agreed to cover for her friend at the last moment. Angela finished her shift two hours earlier because she was not feeling too well. Max met his girlfriend only a month ago and it was his second time visiting her at home, no routine then. Only Ethan did exactly what he was supposed to do at this particular time given. So, maybe, after all, they were all victims of opportunity? According to coroner's report all victims of whom bodies were already recovered had bruises from a teaser. So the unsub was not a smooth talker, neither was he using any kind of rouse. Also, the times of abductions did not reveal any pattern to when he hunts, it all just pointed to the unsub that chooses his victims randomly, when he sees someone that interests him. But still, until now, he sticks to a strict pattern when it comes to days on which he abducts his victims. This guy couldn't be more contrasting. And then it hit him.

Reid dialed Garcia's number, "Hey, Garcia…" he waited for a response, "Hey there my sweet genial boy who doesn't need any sleep, what can I do for you"? He chuckled, looked at his watch, it was 2.30 AM., "Sorry, did I wake you?", Garcia mumbled something not understandable, "I need you to check if there is or was a similar case in the neighborhood but with abductions and dumping taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday". He could hear her tapping on the keyboard over the phone. It lasted for couple of minutes but then he heard her sigh, "You scare me, Doctor Reid, exactly what you described occurs in the suburban area of Las Vegas, they also requested our help, it seems but they only had, forgive me this word, two bodies and one missing"… Reid inhaled the air with a whistling sound, he was right! This guy was extremely impulsive, he must share this with the team, "Thanks Garcia, I have to call everyone". He wanted to end the call but she didn't let him, "Little Hazy Boy, do not! You should call Las Vegas' Police Department and let them know, call them in for tomorrow morning but let our family sleep at least till this morning, I beg of you"… He knew the word 'beg' was just a different way of telling him that if anyone wakes her sweet and beloved Hot Stuff, Derek Morgan, she makes sure this person never sees the sunrise, "Sure, Garcia, that is a good point, good night", he heard her telling him the same and then he put down the phone. Spencer made a quick call to Las Vegas' PD and then headed to the hotel. When he finally laid his head on the pillow and allowed himself some rest from the case, the last thing he saw was the reddish colour of the clouds on horizon.


	2. Spinning a little too fast

**My Loevelies!**  
**Thank you for encouraging reviews and following my story :)**  
**I am sorry I have made you wait so long but I was out of my beautiful country for a while, therefore - internetless. I hope that you will like what I prepared for you in this chapter.**  
**I am assuring you that with the next part - I am going to be quicker!**

**Please, read and review, I am eager to know your thoughts on this story!**

**dum, dum, dum...**

Annoying beeping didn't seem to be willing to just stop and let him have some peace. His head was splitting and the moment he opened his eyes to localize the source of the butting sound - it came with a great amount of pain. He was definitely having one of his bad days with bad headaches. He sat on the bed, realized he was still in his shirt and necktie. It took a moment to remind himself were he was and, more importantly, why. Suddenly, it all came to him and he started to look for his watch in panic. Was he already late? He was not. Fortunately enough, the annoying beeping was just the alarm he did set somehow (he was not, though, sure how it has happened because all he could recall from yesterday's arrival to the hotel room, was taking his pants off and jumping into the bed) and not a phone call from Hotch. Spencer raised on the bed and struggled for a moment with a unbearable pain that came across his occiput. That was not a good sign. This kind of pain usually lasted the longest and prevented him from focusing on his work. And he needed as much focus as he could get for this case.

Garcia was simply worried about her little Baby Genius. He has been acting strange lately. She noticed it being far away from him so she was sure that the rest of the team also knew. For the past few weeks he stopped popping out with his marvelous statistics about everything, he cut down on caffeine, he even stopped correcting the inaccuracies in data when someone else spoke. He became so quiet and on the jet we was not reading anymore, he would just sat the whole flight with his eyes closed. She dialed Morgan's number, "Hey Baby Girl, what's up?", his voice was a remedy for her worries, "Hot Stuff, are you at the station yet?", she heard someone calling to Morgan at the other side of the line, "Yeah, we are about to start the meeting, as soon as Reid comes in". Reid was late, that was another thing that normally would never have happened, "He is late? It is not like him…", she heard Morgan sigh, "He is not, we got here earlier, Baby Girl," he made the pause so she would listen more carefully, "I know you are worried about him, we all are. Thus far everything seems fine, I am keeping an eye on him, ok"? She nodded, forgetting that her Chocolate Adonis cannot see her, "Yeah, fine, I will leave it to you, I sent you the information about what our Genius Boy discovered last night, bye". She knew that it was pointless but she just couldn't help herself but worry.

He somehow managed to get to the police station in time, with a smile and cup of coffee covering his headache. Everybody was already there. Reid saw Morgan on the phone, he heard only fragments of the conversation but after the 'keeping an eye on someone' part he was sure that on the other side there was Garcia worried about him. It meant that everyone noticed that he was a little bit off. That was the final proof that had he followed his dream from the time he was four years old, he would have failed miserably. Let's face the fact, Doctor Spencer Reid may have been a genius with IQ of 187, eidetic memory and ability to read twenty thousands words per minute but he was the most terrible actor the world has seen. He took a sip of coffee, entering the conference room, "Morning, am I late"? Hotch was shifting through the case file, Rossi and Emily were pouring themselves some more caffeine, JJ smiled at him, "No, Spence, you are just on time". Hotch raised his head from above the file, "Shall we start then?", everyone took their places, "Reid, could you"?

He stood up to the sound of his name, "I got Garcia look for similar cases but on the remaining days of the week, and we got a hit in Las Vegas," he changed the slide and on the screen there appeared photos of victims from there, "I have already contacted Las Vegas PD so we could cooperate". He went on explaining how he figured out that the UnSub wouldn't be able to be this strict about his abduction/dumping pattern, while being so random about victims. They all listened to him quietly till he finished, "Our new victims are Rebecca Stray and Gordon Blake and here comes a thing that could be helpful, " he pressed the button to proceed to the next slide, "Rebecca had name 'Amanda' curved but the abducted girl is Giselle Greene". Next images flew onto to screen, "Apparently, the coroner was able to tell me that Rebecca was killed somewhere on Wednesday, around 6 P.M., Giselle was last seen by her boyfriend, leaving the party they both attended at 10 P.M.". Hotch looked concerned, "Reid, if he doesn't preselect his victims, how could he curve the name before abducting the next girl"? Reid grinned for just a second, "My theory is that he ALWAYS abducts a new victim and only then he kills the previous one," he took a deep breath in, "therefore, I believe there is another victim that either was not reported missing or," Reid smiled again, "escaped".

"Your theory, doctor, I pronounce a fact," Garcia appeared out of nowhere on the screen with a wide smile, "As I had all of this information sooner than you, I have already searched for anything suspicious about any Amanda in Las Vegas and-…", a photo of young, blonde girl popped out next to Garcia, "Meet Amanda Serge who was found drugged and wondering near to a parking lot next to her school. She is studying to be an accountant". Hotch raised from his chair first and the rest followed his example. Reid was the last one to leave the room, glancing at Garcia with a faint smile, "Thanks, I never told you to look for Amanda, seems like it is you who didn't get any sleep tonight". She just showed him a gigantic mug of coffee, smiled and turned herself off.

They were in a hurry. Hotch called the Las Vegas PD so they would pick up Amanda Serge and bring her to the station. He was hoping that she could give them a description good enough for a composite sketch and maybe some details about this guy that could point them to the right direction. As soon as they arrived to the department they were lead by some young officer to a interrogation room, "Officer, do you want to tell me that you are holding a key witness, probably in shock and traumatized in a cold interrogation room?", Hotch's voice sure was far from being kind or calm, "I want her in your best office, in a comfortable armchair and with a cup of coffee, tea or whatever she wants, understood"? A poor policeman just nodded and made his way towards the interrogation room. All of them watched from afar the officer walking with a bruised and shaking woman. She looked nothing like on the picture they have seen an hour ago. Rossi made a few steps forward but somebody's hand stopped him, "Let me go in there, Rossi," Reid's grip on his shoulder was firm and steady, "let me talk with her". He nodded and doctor went into the office. He shut the door behind him. Girl looked up and smiled faintly at him, "Hi". Reid sat down and smiled back at the girl. She was pale and had bags underneath her eyes, she was looking around, scared, very unsure, "I am Doctor Reid and I am with FBI," she shrunk in the chair, "is it okay if I ask you some questions"? She nodded hesitantly. Reid opened a file, his eyes focused on that for a moment and then he raised his gaze again, "Can you tell me what happened when this man took you"? He was prepared for her not being able to say anything at all, for her to cry, to scream or to make up some story. It was all normal in cases such as this one. She looked away from him, he followed her gaze. It was set on the glass, she knew that there was a whole bunch of people watching her. He had time, not much but he could give her some time to get a grip of herself, "What were you doing just before it happened, do you remember"? She nodded, "I was sneaking out from my boyfriend's house so his parents wouldn't know I stayed over". She chuckled, a good sign, "It was still dark, before sunrise," she closed her eyes and placed her head straight, "he stopped his car next to me, I was waiting for a bus, he was saying something"… She silenced once more but Reid did not rush her, he just waited.

"Is it alright, Hotch?", Morgan looked concerned. Reid was not getting much from this Amanda girl and he was constantly pressing his forehead- he must have been having one of his headaches. Hotch looked at Morgan with a smirk, "He is doing good, he got her to talk," he crossed his arms over the chest, "it may be slow but it is still impressive that he got her to talk so easily". That may have been the truth but still Reid wasn't getting anything useful up till now and they didn't know how much time did they have left. It was already Thursday evening so tomorrow they will hear about another abduction if they don't do something quickly. She was talking about the car now.

"It was a van, neat but not new," she wrinkled her eyebrows, "it was blue with a scratch on the driver's side, next to the back mirror". Good, Reid glanced at the window, he knew that in this very moment this information was sent everywhere. Doctor also knew how much it cost her to recall such details, "Do you remember the plate, any numbers or letters"? She shook her head, "He pulled me into the car so suddenly, I never had a chance to look at it, sorry". It seemed that now was the right time to be more aggressive towards suppressed memories, "I need you to close you eyes and relax, can you do this Amanda?", she looked at him waiting for some reassurance. He smiled at her, felt a rushing pain coming to his head, he had to endure it until she closed her eyes. He bend forward and placed his index and middle finger on occiput to ease the pain. He had to get a grip of himself had he not wanted the rest to notice his not so wellbeing at the moment, "You are in the car, Amanda, what happens"? She wrinkled her eyebrows, "We are going slowly, the window is opened, I can hear the wind whistling". She stopped, "Why don't you scream?", she put fingers on her lips, "I can't, I have tape on my mouth". She rubbed her arm, "He is putting a needle in, it feels so warm, I…" she opened her eyes, "I woke up in a basement. There were others there… Two girls and two boys but…" she suddenly pulled her hand forward and clasped Reid's hand, "they were beaten, in blood, weren't moving much and then… He came". It must have been hard on her, she tightened her grip, "He took one girl, she tried to resist, he hit the bastard in his manhood, that was only one moment but I took it, I pushed him hard on wall and ran, I…", she unexpectedly burst into tears, "I left them there, I left them alone". Doctor reached out to comfort her, he patted her a few times, "It is not your fault and you can still help them, do you remember how this man looked like"? She lightened up a little and nodded. Reid got up saying that he will send in a woman that would make a composite sketch out of her description. He was halfway out of the room when he stopped and turned once more towards Amanda, "Did you walk long, when you ran away, did you walk long to the parking lot"? She looked at him, probably recalling her escape.

Reid stormed out of the office and almost ran towards the conference room that was already prepared for them. Morgan followed him, "Hey, Pretty Boy, what's the rush?", he didn't even look back. Once he found the board with the map on it he started placing some points and lines on it. Derek leaned on a wall, Kiddo must have figured out something. Soon the rest of the team also came in. Rossi looked over Reid's shoulder, "Reid, you did really well with Amanda in there but…", Doctor's hand raised in a 'be quiet' gesture. The older agent seemed surprised but backed off and sat together with the others. They quietly were discussing what they have learned form Amanda. A few minutes have passed and Spencer finally turned towards his colleagues, "I was able to narrow down the area in which UnSub holds his victims, guys".


	3. A little prey for me

**Hello there My Sweetness!**  
**How have you been? I hope that someone read the second chapter... There were no responses to it so I was wondering, should I continue with this story or maybe not?**  
**Give me some hint, please!**

**With this chapter I had somany difficulties... I am so sorry about this horrible English and all the mistakes - I suck, I know and today was a particulary bad day for writing, so - please, do forgive me!**

**Well, if you would like to, please - enjoy!**

**dum, dum, dum...**

They looked with a faint disbelief at the map. A bush of red marks on it made it very hard to see the final outcome of Reid's thinking. He noticed confusion in their glares and turned to see the map. Well, to be truthful, he couldn't get much from this either, "Wait a minute". He went out and asked some officer for a new map. He placed it on a table so everyone could see it well, "Firstly, Amanda said there were two girls and two boys, meaning that the UnSub holds all victims in one place, in Las Vegas". Hotch shifted through some pages, "How can you be so sure it is in Las Vegas, Reid?", young Doctor put a red dot on the map. It marked the parking lot in front of Amanda's school, "She said that she didn't walk long, half an hour at most". He drew a circle, "This is as far as she could walk within 30 minutes and this," he put another dot, "is where she was abducted". Then he put another three dots for each abduction, "Rebecca, Gordon and Giselle", he connected all dots together with the one marking Amanda's disappearance. It formed another circle intersecting the previous one, "The common area for both circles," he pointed it with his skinny finger, "this is where our UnSub holds his victims". The youngster really was at his top this time, it seemed. Dave stood up first, he looked at his watch, "Well, Reid, you did a great job. Shall we ask Garcia to look for guys fitting what we have gathered so far"? Everyone agreed and after Penelope was assigned her task, the rest of the team headed to the hotel to get some rest – tomorrow morning they would all go to patrol the area Reid declared UnSub's comfort zone.

Everybody went to the hotel. JJ, immediately after going out of the conference room, was lost to the world in a conversation with Will and Henry. Morgan pulled off his phone and talked with Garcia while she was searching for their guy. He laughed and said something about Reid's scary drawings on the map. Rossi and Hotch seemed to have been discussing some issues of Jack's soccer team and Emily waited for Reid to get his stuff. She smiled at him, "Want to go grab something to eat"? He nodded, only then realizing how hungry he was. He spent almost twelve hours talking with Amanda without taking any breaks and then, up until now, he didn't have a chance to eat anything since breakfast. He felt his stomach flipping, it contained only of one egg and about two liters of coffee.

They found a nice bar near the station, sat at the counter and ordered to big bowls of curry and two big mugs of coffee. They didn't talk much as both of them were really tired. Reid realized that he has no idea what his team was doing the whole day, "I interviewed Giselle's boyfriend and the rest, well, they were going here and there to the crime scenes and dumpsites". That's right, they only could do this now as they had no idea about these murders before… All of them had hands full of work, no wonder they all fled so early to have some sleep. The curry they ordered was great. He wasn't sure if it was because the dish really was so amazing or just because he was so hungry that even instant soup would make a five-stars restaurant meal, "Do you think we will be able to catch this psycho before he abducts some innocent guy tomorrow"? The question Emily asked, it has been stuck in his mind for a while. And he didn't know the answer. He told her so, that he had no idea but he hoped they would. After that, none of them spoke again. They finished their meals and headed to exit, "Let's go by one car, should we"? Emily's offer was very appealing as Reid felt he won't be able to keep himself awake had he be seated in a comfortable car seat, "Sorry, there is something I have to"… She waved her hand, "It's okay, greet your mom from me". She smiled as she got into the car and drove away. His mom? Oh, that's right! They were in Las Vegas. Yet, he haven't thought about visiting his mother at all, maybe after the case is closed. The case was what mattered most right now.

Not really sure why, Reid felt obliged to do everything in his power to try and prevent anymore abductions. He decided he was to patrol UnSub's hunting ground the whole night. It was the least he could do. He stopped by a coffee shop and bought two gigantic take away cups. He was ready for the night watch.

Emily was exhausted and wished for nothing more but to sleep peacefully the whole night through. Yet, she wasn't granted this luxury as knocking on her hotel room's door continued for few minutes now, "Coming"… She managed to get up and came to the door, quick glance at her phone. It was half past one, night. She opened the door, on the other side there were Morgan and JJ with a bottle of wine and two boxes of pizza, "Hungry"? she shook her head, "Not really, I ate with Reid before". Even if she wasn't hungry, she let them in and decided to enjoy little bit of wine and some extremely unhealthy pizza with her friends, "So, Reid is with you here"? She looked at JJ surprised, "No, why"? The two of them looked confused, "Well, he never took the key to his room, so we thought, maybe he was hanging out with you"… Emily sighed, "He said he had something to do, I guess, visiting his mom. He must have stayed with her for night". Derek and JJ nodded, she must have been right, "I hope she is having good days, he has enough going on, I guess"… All three of them knew what JJ was talking about, no one on the team failed to notice that their Boy Genius has changed recently and was distancing himself even more from them, "Well, nothing we can do about it right now, let's eat"!

He was nearly falling asleep while walking. Two cups of coffee made him going for around three hours. He looked at his watch, half past one. He still had a long night to go. So far everything seemed quiet and peaceful, no signs of the UnSub. Maybe it was too early after all? He shook his head, any time, he could strike any time. He turned left, he should widen a little his search-area.

Though it was late at night, there was no silence, Las Vegas was not asleep. He could see colorful lights all over the place, some casinos, pubs and discos. It all felt so alive. He smiled to himself, how long has it been since he could experience this buzz that night life of this city gives? He took a deep breath. It seemed that the headache was gone, maybe he just needed fresh air. On the opposite side of the road there was a couple kissing, next to them a group of teenagers were laughing, waiting for the bus. In front of the casino he noticed a few big cars parked, man in suits were getting off. It wasn't a good spot. UnSub was picking some quiet isolated places, where no one would notice anything. He crossed the road and went towards the area that seemed more peaceful and asleep.

His footsteps echoed through the empty streets, his breath was so loud he could hardly hear his heartbeat. It wasn't that he was scared, he was just not really the person to be fond of being alone in the dark when you can only hear the noises you make and then suddenly there is this sound that doesn't belong there. He heard a second pair of footsteps echoing behind him. To the right, dark, no lights in houses. To the left, same story. He couldn't turn back. Unconditionally he reached for is weapon, not pulling it out but keeping his hand at close distance.

The thought just flew through his mind. It was an old trick but it didn't hurt to try it, just in case. Spencer stopped and bent down, ting his shoelaces. The footsteps behind him stopped.

Emily greeted her alarm clock going off with a groan from under the pillow. Last night it was definitely not a good decision to let Morgan and JJ in. Or, precisely, to let them in with this bottle of wine. She didn't drink much but combining it with lack of sleep it was enough to make her feel like swearing to God she would never ever drink again. That is, until Morgan walks in with some good alcohol. And this day was going to be long, long and tiring. They agreed to meet at six o'clock, it was ten to six. Sweet. She rolled off the bed and somehow pulled herself together. After ten minutes Emily stood in the hallway waiting for the rest of her team. They all came almost at once. JJ and Derek gave her a faint smile, they weren't looking better than she was, "Is everyone here yet"? Hotch looked around, "Reid?", everyone shook their heads. Emily sighed and massaged her forehead slightly, "He went to his mum yesterday, maybe he overslept there"… Overslept? Not happening ever but it seemed like the sole logical explanation. Hotch pulled out his phone and dialed, after a few second there was a signal at the other side, "Hello, this is SSA Hotchner, is Doctor Reid there maybe"? The chief unit listened to the response, he nodded and walked away a little. They tried to figure out what is happening from his sporadic gestures and well suppressed facial expressions.

Hotch hang up. He held his phone for a minute, staring at it blankly. Then he came back to where the rest was standing, "Reid hasn't visited his mother yesterday," he looked over at Emily, "are you sure he said he would"? She shook her head, "He didn't," she sat down clasped her hands together, "He said he had something to do, I thought he meant his mum and I asked him to greet her, he didn't deny"… JJ threw a panicked stare at Hotch, "I will tell Garcia to look for him but we have to focus on our job," he passed over some papers, "Let's split and cover the whole area".

And so Hotch went with JJ, Rossi with Emily and Morgan set out on his own, on the phone with Garcia so he would be the first informed about Reid, "You found him, Baby Girl"? He repeated the question every five minutes just to hear the same response. An hour has passed yet he didn't notice anything suspicious, "Baby Girl, how…". He couldn't finish as he heard Garcia screaming from the phone, "Go left now, Hot Stuff, Reid should be somewhere near, I located his phone". Derek took a turn and looked all over for Reid, 'Mama, I am hanging up and I will try calling him, bye". After a few minutes of walking around, constantly dialing Spencer's number, he heard a phone ringing. It was coming from the park. He came closer, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. The bushes right in front of him. The sound got stronger as Derek broke another pile of branches. He saw it. A phone lying on the ground with his name on the screen, buzzing and ringing. It was Reid's.

He raised his head and looked for young genius. He wasn't there. Derek desperately started to look for a glove or tissue to pick up the mobile phone. It was covered in blood and that meant only one thing.

"Hotch, it's me, Morgan," he sighed deeply almost hearing the tension on the other side f the line, "I found Reid's phone, in some bushes, there is blood on it". In response he got a cry from JJ, "Morgan, we are continuing with the search for UnSub, that's an order," he couldn't believe it, Reid was missing and Hotch just wanted to go on with something that was unnecessary, "We will meet at twelve PM at the police station".

Hotch hung up leaving Morgan confused and angry with not only his boss but the whole world. Why was it always him?


End file.
